Does Johnny Depp Want Tax Relief On $7 million Divorce Settlement?

Just when you thought the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard divorce would stop being tabloid fodder for gossip columns the world over, another twist has emerged. After Heard announced she would be donating her $7 million settlement to two charities for abused women and ill children, she has now demanded her soon-to-be ex-husband pay out double after it was reported that he has begun to donate the money directly in her name, instead of giving it to her first, leading her to accuse him of trying to reduce his total bill.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star revealed he had paid the first instalments of the original sum to the charities “in the name of Amber Heard.” However, the fact that Depp donated this money directly to the charities themselves apparently means that he’ll get a tax break, recouping half the money that he donated on Heard’s behalf.

Her spokeswoman responded in a statement, saying Depp must pay double so that he doesn’t recoup the donations: “Amber Heard appreciates Johnny Depp’s novel interest in supporting two of her favourite charities. However, if Johnny wishes to change the settlement agreement, we must insist that he honour the full amount by donating $14m to charity, which, after accounting for his tax deduction, is equal to his $7m payment obligation to Amber. We would also insist that the full amount be paid immediately and not drawn out over many years.”

Her side added that Depp is attempting to “reduce his true payment by half under the guise of newfound concern for charities that he has never previously supported.”

As of yet, Depp has not responded to these claims, but the premise is unsettling. After releasing a joint statement acknowledging the end of their marriage “volatile but always bound by love,” Heard also dropped all alleged charges of domestic abuse against Depp – she had previously gotten a restraining order (granted by a court of law) against Depp after she emerged with a bruised face after he apparently threw a phone at her during a disagreement. But even after Heard pledged to donate her settlement to charity, it was too late. She was vilified by the media; a manipulative gold digger out for attention, out to destroy her talented former husband who was grieving after his mother’s death.

The story was on every front page and social-media platform for public dissection; she surely couldn’t be right – even after a video emerged online of Depp displaying aggressive behaviour – so the public decided to challenge her every statement and subsequently find her lacking in both morality and credibility. He was a rockstar, revered in Hollywood who had “fallen from grace” while she was selfish, only thinking of herself and her fortune.

The mob was out for blood, demanding Heard withdraw her allegations, and even after she did for her own mental health, she is still presented as the villain of the story. What will happen next? Time will tell but you can bet it won’t be in Heard’s favour, with some online ire already outraged she insisted Depp pay double.

Society has a history of idolising the man. Perhaps if we stop doing this, women would be treated better.